CREATIVE MINDS BEHIND THE CAMERA

A creative director, a filmmaker and a video director - three Ghanaian visionaries share their unique approach to fashion and visual storytelling

SHIM DARREN ZIORKLEY

SHIM DARREN ZIORKLEY, born in Accra, Ghana, is a creative art director, stylist, set designer and interior designer with a passion for art and fashion.

His studies in fine and conceptual art influence his distinctive and detailed approach to his work. Currently, he serves as the creative director for the AfroFuture festival. Shim has collaborated with notable brands and individuals both locally and internationally.

Your passion for art and fashion started at a young age, drawing on walls and floors. How have these early experiences shaped your creative approach?

It has made me fearless and allowed me to be creatively free. It has also given me a perspective where I see life as my empty canvas, and I can express and explore all of its possibilities.

Your work spans multiple disciplines, from styling to set design to interior design. How do you find balance between them?

There's some level of pressure that comes with being able to carry all these different facets, for me it's proper planning and learning to say no when you must and having the right people to help you execute.

I've had a strong support system, from my parents, my team and very good friends, who have helped me in different ways. Usually the styling does influence the type of set design and the art direction when it comes to fashion editorials,same as some installations where creative direction and art direction go hand in hand.

There's been several projects where I'm doing different roles. I'm such a detailed person and I'd like to probably do it myself because there's a way I want it to look, but I've learned to decentralise, because you really can't do it all by yourself all the time. Usually I come up with the concepts, which sometimes comes easy. Other times I get such horrible creative blocks.